Baking & Snack - November 2020 - 76

CRACKER TECHNOLOGY

Hybrid ovens provide
the best of both worlds
for crackers: the color
and flavor development
from direct-gas fired and
the efficient moisture
removal of convection.
Middleby Bakery

enough pressure to cause the rolls to separate slightly, "
Mr. Zvoncheck said. " We're talking 1/100th of a millimeter that can cause uneven weights across the widths. "
While this may not seem like a significant gap, it
causes inconsistencies in the dough sheet, compromising the integrity of the final crackers. Bakers need to
keep an eye on these gaps to ensure they are holding
steady. Rademaker builds its reduction heads to be more
heavy duty and withstand the deflection that can occur
on wider cracker lines.
Dough flow control is also critical to ensuring the
dough sheet isn't damaged as it's reduced. Rademaker features automatic controls on its production lines to ensure
dough is flowing in the right direction in a controlled way.
" You don't want dough stretching or bunching because that relates directly to loss of products or broken
crackers, " Mr. Magistrelli explained.
Inclusions can provide crackers with a point of differentiation, visual cues and flavor, but they also can be a
weak point in the cracker dough. While providing texture, nutrition and flavor, these ingredients can also be
tricky on the sheeting line.
" The smaller the inclusion the better, " Mr. Zvoncheck
explained. " It has to go through the final mid-point
without getting stuck; otherwise, it will cause a micro
tear in the sheet. "
If bakers insist on larger inclusions for the visual appeal, he suggested adding them with a pressing roller after the dough is reduced to its final thickness.
Transitions are always an opportunity for inconsistencies or damage to be introduced. As dough comes off the

76 Baking & Snack November 2020 / www.bakingbusiness.com

gauge rolls, it's critical it doesn't stick to the rollers and
releases smoothly onto the belt. As cracker formulations
have become more varied, the traditional roll speed differentials don't always get that job done. Traditionally,
top and bottom gauge rollers on cracker lines have been
connected so that if the speed of one roller was adjusted,

OPTIMIZING THE BAKE
PROFILE IS KEY TO
PREVENTING CHECKING,
THE BANE OF ANY
CRACKER PRODUCER.
the other would also change. The bottom roll would run
about 5% faster than the top to release the dough onto
the belt without issue.
" That worked very well for many years, and it still
does for standard wheat-based doughs, " Mr. Zvoncheck
said. " But as we get away from wheat-based doughs and
get into gluten-free or hybrid doughs, that 5% doesn't
necessarily hold true anymore. "
Independent motors and drives on gauge rolls allow
operators to change the differentials with the push of a
touch screen. This provides bakers the flexibility to run a
lot of different cracker doughs on one line with an easy,
automated changeover.
" Every dough has that sweet spot where it will sheet

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Baking & Snack - November 2020

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